


but tonight i'm gonna hold you so close

by softbrio



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Beth Boland/Rio Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 03, Sexual Tension, THEYRE SO CHAOTIC, beth can’t sleep so she talks to rio, but ofc bc it’s brio!, hitman plot ugh, mick once again has to deal w them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29823105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softbrio/pseuds/softbrio
Summary: "But after everything, I don't hate you. I was scared, if anything," Beth said, staring at the wall in front of her. Her eyes fixated on the tiny crack in the wall. It was like them--together, but not perfect."Scared of what?" Rio asked."Getting in too deep, then driving you away,"
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	but tonight i'm gonna hold you so close

"A hitman?" Rio's question shot through Beth. She thought the decision to bring Annie and Ruby with her would prevent him from throwing a gun up against her chin. For now it was working.

"I called it off," Beth tried to explain to a furious Rio, "but he said I couldn't."

"Don't tell me y'all were stupid and used the cut money," he replied. Annie and Ruby looked away, and Beth rolled her eyes, once again being forced to deal with him. But in their defense, she was the only one not afraid of him.

"What other money was I supposed to use?" Beth asked, rhetorically, "It's not like I have five thousand dollars sitting in my pocket."

"Wouldn't that be nice," Annie chimed in, drawing attention from Rio, "but the point is that we actually have to go."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"We have to hide out to get him off of our trail," Beth explained, and he chuckled at her statement.

"Yeah, I ain't the one at fault here," he replied.

"Listen, do you want to live?" she asked, "or do you want to blame this gunshot on me again?"

"I don't even wanna answer that question," he said, turning to Mick, "pull the car around." His nonchalant agreement sent a wave of anxiety through Beth. She didn't even know if this was going to work. I mean, don't hitmen know where their target is at all times? But Rio is always wanted by the FBI, he'd know if he was being followed. "Next time don't put hits out on me, yeah?"

* * *

"An actual nice hotel?" Annie asked, leaning against the side of the van, "Gangfriend knows places." 

"Or he washes cash through here," Ruby stated.

"Another possibility," she replied, watching as her sister hauled bags out of the back seat. 

"Thanks for the help, Annie," Beth snapped, dropping bags to her feet. 

"What? You were already doing it," she said, "thought I would save time and kill two birds with one gun." 

"That's not even the analogy," Ruby said.

"God, can no one make a joke around here?" Annie asked jokingly, picking up the two bags by her feet. 

"If he comes here guns blazing, I'm pushing you to the front," Beth replied.

"Oh please, I'm probably the only one he actually likes," Annie defended. 

"Oh we know which one of us he actually likes," Ruby added, looking at Beth.

"Stop," she replied, closing the driver's side door, starting to walk towards the building. 

"Come on, Beth!" Annie yelled, running after her, "you have to admit that it's kind of funny." 

"There's nothing funny about it," she replied. 

"All he was asking for was dinner," Annie said, "it wouldn't be that bad." 

"Dean asked me the same thing," Beth told her, "twenty years and four kids later, here we are,"

"But he's not Deansie,"

"You're right, he's a hitman," Beth said, trying to end the conversation before Rio could get to them. She didn't want to remember that Fitzpatrick was in her kitchen three days ago, asking her to dinner. Although, they probably wouldn't be in this situation if she said the right thing. 

“Yo,” Rio called out, tilting his head towards the front of the building. Beth started to follow him, as Annie wouldn’t give up. 

“So tell me, Beth,” she started, “is this going to be like, a vacation for you and gangfriend?” 

“Why the hell would you even think that?” Beth replied. Frankly, she was exhausted by the amount of comments and questions Annie has to ask. And sometimes she _swears_ that she forgets who put three bullets in him. 

“I don’t know,” Annie said, “you guys have just been, acting different the past couple weeks.” 

“I can assure you that he still hates my guts,” Beth told her, eventually meeting up with Rio and Mick, who gave her a room key. 

“Rooms are next to each other,” Rio explained, “me and Mick stand guard in the hall, switch off every couple hours. Don’t come out unless it’s an emergency.” 

“Okay,” Beth replied, walking past him. The stress of the whole day made her just want to crawl into bed for the night. 

“This isn’t a vacation,” he added, mostly directing his gaze to Annie, who threw her hands up in surrender. 

* * *

“So he just wants us to stay locked up in here till further notice?” Annie asked, throwing her sock that she had made into a ball against the ceiling. 

“That’s kind of what hiding out means,” Ruby said.

“We should’ve just kept that hit,” she replied, “at this point, I’m ready to try it myself.”

“One of us already tried that, Annie. And you saw how that went,” Ruby reminded her. 

“Well, I didn’t _literally_ see it,” Annie argued. Ruby rolled her eyes, focusing her attention back to Beth, who was looking down at her phone. 

“You good?” she asked, but Beth didn’t look up. 

“Yeah, it’s just I-” 

“They’re _fine,_ ” Ruby reassured her. 

“Well they are with Deansie,” Annie chimed in, and Ruby gave her a look of ‘cut it out’. 

“Oh god, what was I thinking?” Beth asked, falling onto her side on the bed, “I mean, I could’ve just, let him kill him.” 

“This is what I’m talking about, people!” Annie said. 

“But he’s getting too far into the business to risk not having him around,” Ruby replied, “it wasn’t a bad idea.” 

“But with leaving the kids with him,” Annie added, “ _that_ was a bad idea.” Her sentence barely finished when the sound of the door unlocking and opening made all three of them jump. The next noise was Rio clearing his throat, switching the safety to a gun on. 

“What?” Beth asked, annoyed, but not getting up either. 

“Incase you need it,” he replied, “in an emergency.” Annie and Ruby looked at each other, then at Beth, then Rio again. “Be out there if you need me.” He added, closing the door. 

“What was _that?”_ Annie was the first to ask. 

“It’s just to be safe,” Beth replied, hearing her sister chuckle after. 

“No, I mean what was the, ‘If you need me’,” she asked, causing Ruby to roll her eyes. 

“It was literally nothing,” Beth said, sitting up. 

“I call bullshit,” Annie replied, “I think they’re boning again.”

“Annie!” Beth yelled in a whisper, “there is literally nothing happening.” 

“I told you it would end bad last time,” 

“And there’s no this time,” she continued denying. Because there really was nothing, but based on the past, she knew why Annie didn’t trust her. “You should go bed.” She added, watching as Annie got up, walking to the other bed where Ruby was sitting. “What are you?” her question trailed off. 

“I know you’ll end up kicking me,” Annie said, making Beth roll her eyes. 

“I’m telling the truth,” 

“Yeah,” 

* * *

Beth’s eyes opened to the dark room for the past four hours. It was probably the longest that she sort of drifted to sleep. She rolled to her other side, facing the bedside table that had the gun on it. The placement of it was almost ironic, if someone came in all they’d have to do is pull the trigger and they’d blow her brains out. After awhile she finally kicked the blankets off of her, opening the door that revealed the hallway. And Rio sitting on the floor a couple steps from their room. 

He turned his head to look at her, not moving from his spot. Beth felt like a zombie, shuffling her way over before sliding down the wall next to him. 

“What are you doing?” Rio asked, not taking his eyes off of her. 

“Can’t sleep,” she replied, staring at the wall in front of them. She noticed a tiny crack down the middle, it zigzagged all the way down to where the wall and floor met. 

“Look pretty tired to me,” he replied. Beth turned and met his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s what happens to people when they can’t sleep,” she snapped. 

“Damn, okay,” Rio said, looking away. 

“I’m sorry,” Beth started, “I’m exhausted.” 

“So you came out here?” 

“I figured that talking to you is exhausting in itself,” Rio chuckled, moving his head in a nod after. 

“Touché,” he said. There was silence for awhile, neither one of them wanting to speak first. “Why’d you do it?” Rio finally asked, breaking the awkwardness. 

“You left us no choice,” Beth replied.

“Yeah, right,” 

“When you found out about us printing the money, we felt corned,” she said, “like there was no way out.” 

“That’s what happens when you rob a grocery store three years ago,” he told her. 

“Well, to be fair,” she started, turning to look at him again, “we didn’t know we’d be washing money for a street gang after.” 

“Least you know for the next time,” Rio joked, and for the first time probably ever, he actually made her laugh. 

“Next time, yeah,” Beth said, letting out a smile, “you didn’t ask why I called it off, though.”

“Why did you?” She took a deep breath, trying to find an answer for a question _she_ set herself up for. 

“I wouldn’t be able to live with it,” she told him, “I barely could the first time.” Beth couldn’t believe that this was _actually_ the first time she was even talking about what happened after shooting him. She really didn’t tell anyone. 

“Yeah? What happened?” Rio asked. It was like he was fishing. Like he got enjoyment out of her pain. Out of her trauma. 

“You really want to know?”

“It’s why I asked,” he insisted. 

“Fine,” she started, “I’d jump up in the middle of the night, look to my side and you’d be sitting there. You would move closer to me and say it was okay. That you were right there. That you weren’t going to leave me.” 

“What would I say exactly?” he asked. 

“Does it matter?” 

“I asked,” 

“I don’t remember,” Beth replied, “but then I’d fall back asleep and have the same nightmare again.” Rio dropped his head down, nodding at the same time. “And shooting Turner wouldn’t have helped,” she added, “it would’ve been the same.”

“Except I would’ve been there,” he told her. Beth turned her head to look at him once again.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Woulda been there to help you,” 

“That’s funny,” she told him.

“Wasn’t jokin’,” he replied, and Beth scoffed.

“You once told me I was a drug dealer and to get my head straight,” she said, “I doubt you would’ve cared.” 

“We were partners,” Rio said, lifting his head back up to see her, “still could be.”

“I screwed it up,” she replied, and tears even started forming at her eyes. He reached out to catch one before it could fall down her cheek, and he left his hand resting on her jaw for a couple seconds. “But after everything, I don’t hate you. I was scared, if anything,” Beth said, staring at the wall in front of them. Her eyes were fixated on the tiny crack in the wall. It was them—together, but not perfect. 

“Scared of what?” Rio asked. 

“Getting in too deep, then driving you away,” she admitted, a yawn leaving her mouth afterwards. 

“Looks like I did tire you out after all,” he replied, changing the subject. 

“Very funny,” she laughed, her head falling down to rest on his shoulder, eyes drifting shut. And something about it just felt—nice. It felt safe. Mick came out of the room a couple minutes later, signifying that it was his turn to be on guard. Rio stood Beth up, who let out a frustrated noise as her eyes were still closed. 

“Thank Mick for this one,” he said, her head still resting against his chest as he guided her, as she walked backwards, to her room. He turned the gun around on the table next to her so it wasn’t staring her down, and he just stood there for awhile, watching as she was finally able to go to sleep. He walked out, quietly closing the door and heading to his own room. The clock read four a.m., and of course if there was one thing keeping him up longer than he needed to be, it would be Elizabeth Boland.

* * *

Beth woke up once again, but this time to the noise of her sister slamming the door shut. She let out a groan, rolling over until she felt the edge of the bed, stopping herself before she completely fell off. 

“What, did you drink last night?” The sound of Annie’s question was faint inside her head, and it really made her try to remember if she did or not. 

“I wish,” she finally replied, throwing a pillow over her head. 

“Well, there is a bar here,” Annie said, sitting on the edge of the bed, “and gangfriend wants you to meet him there.”

“What?” Beth asked.

“I don’t know, that’s all he said to me this morning,” Annie told her. Beth threw the pillow off of her head, sitting up to stare at the white walls of the room.

“Now?” she asked, and Annie nodded. Beth thought her eyes were going to roll back into her head at how hard she rolled them at that. She dragged herself out of the bed, running a hand through her hair at an attempt to brush it as she walked out the door. The bar was on the first level, and it’s a wonder how they all missed it when they first walked in yesterday. Or else she probably would’ve been down there when she couldn’t sleep. The first thing she saw when turning the corner was Rio, already drinking. It was an oddly familiar sight as he pulled the stool next to him closer to his legs, focusing his attention to her. And to her only.

“There she is,” he smiled, and it was giving her agita.

“Little early to be drinking,” Beth replied, and he chuckled, grabbing the bartender’s attention.

“Pick your poison,” he told her, “it’s on my tab.” 

“I’m good, thanks,” she said to the kid behind the bar, “why did you want me here?” she asked.

“Do I need a reason?” he asked back, causing Beth to roll her eyes again.

“It’s eleven in the morning,” she replied.

“You got something better to do?” Rio asked with a laugh, and she didn’t answer, “thought so.”

“He asked me to go out with him,” Beth said after awhile, trying to break the awkward silence. But with them it’s all too familiar. 

“The hitman?” he asked, and she nodded, “wow.” 

“Said if I really wanted to call it off I’d have to go to dinner with him,” she explained.

“He know about the dumbass husband?”

“He’s a hitman, I’m sure he’s done extensive research on me,” Beth scoffed, “so where do we go from here?” 

“Level one,” he replied.

“Which is?”

“No trust,” 

“Have you ever trusted me?” Beth asked, mostly as a joke.

“You don’t want me to answer that,” Rio told her.

“That was really a joke,” she replied, “but now I’m intrigued.”

“I did trust you at one time,” he admitted, and Beth really wondered how many rounds in he was that he was just telling her this without a fight. She looked over at him.

“When did you stop?” she asked, and he looked up to meet her gaze. 

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” he started, “never wanted to stop. But every time you’d fuck somethin’ up, I’d have no choice.” 

“Those three bullets didn’t help either,” Beth said, trying to crack a smile to lighten the mood.

“Even after that,” Rio answered, “you drove me damn crazy. Shit, you still do, ma.” Beth bit the inside of her bottom lip, instantly looking away from him to try to break the tension. But it was still there when he tucked her hair behind her right ear, and placing a hand on her jaw to pull her towards him. She looked up into his eyes, both staring at each other like it was the first time they’ve ever met. Rio stood up, bringing himself closer to her, before leaning down to bring her into a kiss. 

Neither one of them seemed to care that there were some people around, none of the, paying attention. His hand rested right on her neck, directly on the spot that he was sucking on the night in the bar bathroom. Their tongues mapped out each other’s mouths, and Rio moved down to suck her bottom lip before they pulled away. 

“I fucking knew it,” Hearing Annie’s voice a little way behind Beth made her jump, and she turned around to the sight of Ruby and Mick standing next to her as well. “You did lie.” she added. Beth jumped up from her seat to get away from Rio as fast as possible. 

“It’s literally not what it looks like,” she told her sister.

“No? Because it looks like you guys were sucking each other’s mouths,” Annie said.

“When you put it like that,” Beth replied, “ew.” Annie rolled her eyes, walking to the bar to get the bartender’s attention. “I swear this was the first time something like thi-”

“Save it, Beth. You’re the reason why we got into this mess,” 

“And you were any help?” Beth asked, “because I think you were the one who suggested robbing the store.” she reminded her. 

“I wasn’t the one who boned gangfriend and kept it from me and Ruby!” Annie fought back. 

“You guys don’t need to know every detail of my life,” 

“I told you it would come back to bite us in the ass,” Annie replied, “and you didn’t listen.” 

“I’m not the irresponsible one here, Annie,” Beth defended.

“And I am?” Annie asked, leaving Beth to scoff at her question.

“You haven’t been responsible your entire life!” Beth yelled.

“And I’m sick of you always judging me,” Annie replied. The yelling continued until slapping and hair pulling started, leaving Ruby to roll her eyes and look away.

“Hey,” Rio called out, grabbing Beth while Mick grabbed Annie, pulling them away from each other. He held her tight in his grip so that she couldn’t wiggle her way out, waiting until the two calmed down. “Listen, she ain’t lying. And I can attest to the that,” he added, trying to get things under control. 

“Thank you,” Beth said, trying to squirm out of his grip. 

“It’s going to end bad again, Beth,” Annie said, “I’m warning you.” Her and Ruby walked away, leaving Beth and Rio alone. 

“You can let me go now,” she told Rio, who still had his arms around her. 

“Sorry it’s just,” he replied.

“I get it,” she said, “I’ll make sure I calm her down later.” 

“Y’all are crazy,” Rio laughed, and Beth rolled her eyes. Her phone made a noise and she pulled it out to look at a text.

“It’s over,” 

“Huh?” he asked, looking over her shoulder to read the message from Fitzpatrick.

“That was fast,” Beth said. 

“Guess he got tired,” Rio replied.

“Yeah,” she kept reading the text over and over again, like she almost didn’t believe it, “guess we can go home.” They started to walk back to the elevator, and Rio nodded.

“Shame, kinda wanted to stay a little longer,” he said, leaning into her neck as they walked. 

“Kids go to school at 8:30,” Beth told him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Rio smirked, and they looked at each other for awhile, “guess I’ll see you then, partner.” 

Beth smiled, and they each disappeared into separate rooms. They just knew that they’ll have to do a better job of keeping it a secret this time. Especially from Annie. 

**Author's Note:**

> i absolutely hated the beth/annie dynamic at the end, but i actually think that’s how she would react if she saw them just kissing at a hotel bar at eleven in the morning lmao. ONE DAY UNTIL SEASON 4!!! ACTUALLY LESS THAN A DAY BUT WHOOOO


End file.
